New Jersey came in at fourth for the loss-per-victim, sixth in loss-per-capita and 33rd for number of victims per 100,000 residents.

"it can be all kinds of things, from identity theft to phishing" — the fraudulent practice of sending emails purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.

The average ID theft loss in the state last year was just over $7,900.

Patterson said there are a lot of things you can do to protect yourself: Using stronger passwords; not connecting to public Wi-Fi to do your banking or shopping; and not volunteering personal info when you do not have to.